Tanma

Yeah, this is actually part of a universe I invented, though I haven't penned most of it. This is kind of meant to be a side story in that universe, just a glimpse. If I do write the main bit, it will be a novel. Writing that story is on my bucket list. (can 19 year olds have a bucket list?) But I'm glad you could tell that it is meant to be part of a larger world.

IC: De'kra nodded and clicked, "If they feel it no one mention it. Sometimes I feel time seem to almost slow, like in battle. I remember in Quest 20 I could one second be attack foe, then everything would slow enough for me to be able to write reply to a journal message, and get back to battle. I think it happen in Quest 29 also. And other times I and other heroes have time to talk abostrangeness and what to enact even as we attack foes. But no one notice or, or at least they not find it odd.You think time is damage or something? It possible, hero back home once threaten to destroy all of time, in order to make villain back down. Luckily villain compromise, as hero was not bluff."

IC: De'kra turned to Arthur in horror and clicked, "You...you felt time change too?" OOC: this is in character for De'kra.

Since the time travel destroyed it, I reposted the short story I penned in culture and multimedia. More on topic, was anything major lost here?

This is my second attempt to post this, the first was when the site went crazy. Since the semester is all but over, I have decided to share a short story I wrote for my intro to creative writing course. If this is in the wrong section please move it, I would have posted this in the old writing topic, but I don't know if that topic has "expired." Feel free to give feedback. To Come Upon “I’m telling you, they’re real,” Nathanial defended, “I had a computer expert check it out, they aren’t photo-shopped!” His body refused to stay still; rather it trembled as he struggled to stay stationary. “By ‘expert’ you mean your little sister don’t you?” teased John. The three of them were talking outside of their shared Roman classics, as Nate struggled to convince them of his picture’s authenticity. “That isn’t the point here,” Nate redirected, “You know she’s good at this kind of thing. The point is, aliens have invaded Titan!” The teen’s arms flapped wildly, his body trembling with excitement. “Invading?” Sam asked with a slightly raised eyebrow as she took another peek, “and you know they aren’t native…how?” “Look at their backs,” Nate explained eagerly, “you can clearly see some sort of breathing apparatus. They aren’t adapted to Titan, so they have to be from beyond.” He stared off in the distance as he finished, which was obscured by a highway wall. “You do realize that could be a part of their bodies,” she analyzed, “I mean, we have no clue what life on another world would look like, and some Terran forms of life seem metallic. And if they did have artificial air filters, could they just have damaged their atmosphere, and now require technology to breath?” “You don’t honestly think such complex life could be native to a world with no other forms of life!” Nate said in frustration as he leapt up and down. John had decided to use this time to resume going over his notes on the Odyssey, letting Sam and Nate discuss the main points. The whole topic was pointless regardless of whether or not he got involved. “No, I believe they are interstellar,” she answered, “or at least from Europa. But if they did have some sort of disaster, a mass extinction event could have destroyed their biosphere. It’s not likely, but we can’t reject it out of hand.” “No way are they from Europa,” Nate argued, “Life on Europa would live in constant darkness lit only by bioluminescence and geothermic light, encase with thick ice walls. There is no way-” At that point the classroom began to empty as the period ended. Nate’s words were lost over the din, save for a few odd sentiments. ------------------- “…And that’s why Wasp-8096 could kill Surtur,” Sam concluded. She and John were eating lunch at the moment, by a tree on their campus. Every so often passersby would give them an odd look or two, as the two of them debated things in their strange tongue. The two of them failed to notice the outsiders, save if a dog barked. “Okay, I get what you’re coming from,” John conceded, “although I think you mean universe 80920. But we don’t know if Surtur can regenerate, and if so to what extent can he heal. Plus it would be a suicidal attack regardless.” Suddenly the two of them heard hyperventilation in the distance, drawing ever closer. With a slap of his head John watched as Nate ran towards them, photographs littering his hands. “The aliens!” Nate gasped, his arms flaying madly as he slammed to a halt The two friends stared at Nate for a time, before Sam replied, “If Ares-616 died from being torn in two, then Surtur can die from having his head exploded. And I am pretty sure its universe 8096.” “Focus people!” Nate demanded as his arms became windmills, “the source in the European Space Agency leaked more images, you can actually make out their bodies now!” “Where are they even getting these images from?” asked John, “the last probe to Titan was seven years ago. Oh, let me guess. ‘Channel A,’ right?” “Exactly,” Nate exclaimed with relief, “350 images “lost,” each showing some aspect of the aliens and the ships. I mean, why would they make a redundant system but divide the pictures in two halves?” “Then why tell people they lost half their images?” Sam asked, “Won’t that just encourage conspiracy enthusiasts to probe? Besides, I doubt any of us know enough about rocket science to really judge what happened.” “And that kind of thinking is why no one questioned it!” Nate proclaimed triumphantly, before thrusting his images into their faces. Upon the images moved three creatures, each vaguely draconian in form. The aliens had a sharp beak, covered up by a silvery coat. Their whole bodies were doused in chrome, including the vent shaped growths on their backs. From what could be seen of their heads, their skin was quite pale. But their most distinct features were their limbs. Their hind legs were bird like, though with an added delicateness. They seemed almost hand-like in shape. Their front limbs however were multipurpose, with long webbing stretching from tip to body. While they walked the limb collapsed into a leg, which ended in a curved claw. But every so often one of them would leap off the ground, and their leg would shift into a powerful pair of wings. “…Space Dragons,” John said slowly, “Space Dragons. Have you ever read Iron Man or X-Men? Because this seems really familiar-” “Don’t mock me,” Nate requested, though his thunder was slightly dampened, “Look in the top right corner of this one; you can just about make out three ships.” “Oh yeah,” Sam remarked as she shifted her head, “If you squint and tilt your head, you can make them out.” John shrugged and complied, letting him just about catch sight of the supposed vessels. They were wide vehicles, shaped almost like manta rays. Their body was an ebony hue, though even that was barely visible against Titan’s sky. “And before you ask,” Nate said with barely contained glee, “I already checked, they still aren’t photo-shopped! Seven years…seven years of hiding the truth.” He almost danced, though he clasped the photos with a fierce grip. “Which won’t explain why we waste time fighting wars amongst ourselves,” John pointed out, not that he really believed those words. “Well technically we aren’t in the ESA,” Sam suggested, “our government might not have been informed. What are their members again?” “Are you two honestly not excited by this?” asked Nate as he fought to remain still, “How can you be so calm? There are aliens coming!” “Listen, we are happy for your family reunion,” John replied, “but it isn’t really worth getting excited about. Either they come and they slaughter/enslave us, or there aren’t aliens coming and we kill ourselves. Either way everyone dies, doesn’t matter how.” “They could be peaceful,” Nate offered, taken slightly aback. “In which case they will kill us to maintain interstellar peace,” John replied, “or send us back to the Stone Age.” “…We aren’t that bad,” Sam said awkwardly, looking at John with a slight hint of worry. “Don’t go “Tenth Doctor” on me,” John laughed, though his eyes remained just as weathered as before. Nate drifted away, before running off to spread more news. ------------------- “You okay?” Sam asked suddenly as the two of them were gazing into gloaming of the sky. The amber light became more and more engulfed by shadows, leaving only embers of illumination in the night sky. “Yeah,” John answered finally, “I’m fine. It’s just…” He trailed off, not wanting to give voice to his thoughts. “She had lived a long life,” Sam whispered finally, “A lot of dogs don’t even reach fifteen.” “But she ended up dead the same,” he sighed gloomily, as the sky before them was overtaken by ebony. John laid his hand over his head as he muttered, “Seventeen years. I don’t even remember a time Dusty wasn’t there. And now...what is the point to it? To all of this? If someone so innocent must still die…” “Memories,” Sam stated softly, “That can be the point. I mean, you won’t give up the years with Dusty for anything right? And she helped make you who you are today.” “Yeah,” John admitted, though a selfish part would rather that pain have never plagued him. “Maybe we all will die one day, but that doesn’t mean we should just give up. How many villains have tried to destroy all mutants? How many times have the Avengers faced alien armadas or twisted gods? How often was Ulysses set back in his trip home? They could have given up at any time, but they kept going.” “Heroes don’t stay dead for long.” “Skurge is still dead.” “Yeah, yeah he is.” The thoughtful silence the two of them experienced was soon shattered by Nate running up to them, his eyes wider than satellite dishes and his arms acting more like wings. “What is it?” John asked crossly. Nate was eerily silent, as he pointed to the right of the two of them. John and Sam followed his finger’s point, before their eyes grew in shock. A series of bright lights arched across the sky, flowing from the distance. The specks of illumination grew larger as they flowed through the sky, and gradually they took shape. Large flat bodies, with a long thin back. They looked like manta rays. As the alien crafted flew past the campus in the distance, Sam and John collapsed upon each other. The ships were entirely silently, it was like a dream. The two of them could only tremble, no matter what had been said, they were not prepared. Finally, meekly, they helped each other to their feet, as Nate gazed at the fleet, a loving smile fixed upon his lips. As the trio gazed at the fleet, their cellphones buzzed with texts. For a while the sound was lost to them, engulfed by the waves of ships and the growing panic of the other students. Screams echoed across the campus while others broke to their knees in desperate prayer. Finally the two youth’s spare hands found their way to their phones, and they escaped the armada’s view to harbor a glance. “What-what is this?” Sam managed as she took a better look at the text, her body quaking, “It kind of looks like ancient Greek.” There was a pause as the group dragged their eyes from the fleet to look over the font, made up of odd vaguely-familiar distortions of modern letters and other symbols. “They’ve been here before,” Nate said slowly, as his face exploded, “They’ve been here before!” He began to dance with utter wonder, a whiplash from the screams in the distant background. But neither reactions really mattered. As Nate jumped around wildly, John stared up at the ships with renewed wonder. “They’ve been here before?” he repeated, “But why-how-? “Doesn’t matter how,” Sam said with a smile, “although I would like to know “what.”’ John nodded slowly, as his mind began to imagine what brought these aliens to earth once before, and what made them return. And what made them spare humanity the first time. But for now, he could only watch the ships of a foreign sky.

IC: De'kra returned to the hall, and greeted Arthur. "Sorry it took while," he clicked, "it was hard to break through. I probably was not ready. So...you ever get I journal back?"

IC: De'kra crept in, more than a little uncomfortable. He wasn't ready for this, he could tell. He couldn't be an Assassin any more, but he didn't deserve this power. He couldn't go and harness the elements like a Toa. They were heroes. They were champions. They were- "As flawed as anyone." De'kra flinched at the words and clicked, "No, they were better." "Tuyet wasn't." "Many Toa had flaws" "Often less than her's" "But none were perfect." "But they kept going." "And listened to the Three Virtues." "As do you." "You will be great." There was such, wisdom in that voice, a soothing knowing tone. And as much as it hurt to consider the Toa Empire, it gave weight to the voice. Finally De'kra shuffled up to the Copper Fox and stuttered, "I-I will like to be Sorceror?" "If that is what you desire," came the Veteran's puzzled reply, responding to De'kra's unsure voice. And so De'kra trained. He focused on the gem, for days and nights he clutched it as he dodged and weaved through the spinning blades that trained him. With each day the gem glowed brighter, each day in shined greater. He grew tired from this, and could feel energy slipping from him. But still he pushed himself. He researched Ether, studied the crystals' structure. He felt its weight, its shape, until it was almost a part of himself. Until it was a part of himself. The echo stood back, before firing a bolt of light into a training figure with explosive force. He was now a Sorceror. 11 year old "male" Sorceror "echo" Level: 20.33 Power: 26 Ether: 20/20 Defense: 4 (protected from enamored effect) (protected from confused effect) Health: 30/30 Gold: 21 Equipment: Kapura(WP:8, Fire), Diamond(Light), Cloak of the Blue Assassin(SP:1), Heart Locket(Protects from enamored effect and confused effect), Reflective Gaunlets(SP:3) Inventory: Chiara(WP:7, Electricity), Shadeaux Dagger(WP:5), Fauxthril Hand Cannon(WP:7), Cloak of the Elven Spy, Bedroll, Pickaxe, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Magic Compass, Potions (7), Grand Potions (3), Remedy (3), Phoenic Essence (3), Smoke Bombs (2), Noxious Venom (1), Tonic (1)

IC: De'kra gently clasped the scroll, and dipped his head in thanks. "If...if you are sure," he clicked, "If you are gone before I return, good luck on your next quest. Just...be careful if you encounter Wren. I worry she deals not merely in chaos, but in words. And words can be very dangerous if use right." With that De'kra left for the Training hall. OOC: the word of the day is clasped apparently, I'm using it all over the place.

IC: De'kra returned from the marketplace, with a lot less gold weighing him down. "Arthur I," he began, "I think I...you really think I should become Sorceror? That I ready to wield such raw power?" "You are more ready than most." "Yeah, get on with it." "It won't matter in the end anyway."

IC: De'kra walked into the market, a lot older than when he had first stepped among the stalls. Walking with his 171 gold, he approached Fabian's Stall. After a quick debate, he sighed, and had his Reflective Gaunlets stripped of the Diamond for 50 gold. He disliked the light, hated it even. But he could not hurt Kapura and Chiara for this, especially if it didn't work out. And honestly, secretly, he wanted the back light more than anything in the world. He just...he really didn't know. With the diamond in hand he went to the blacksmith. With a sigh he handed Kapura to the smith along with 80 gold. A little later Anwyl returned, with Kapura as a WP:8 weapon. Now with 41 gold left, the echo bought one potion and a tonic. He was going to take this slow, no great rush into magic just yet. Remaining with 21 gold, he headed into the Hall of Heroica.

Go with Chi Monk, they are awesome in general, the closest thing to a Toa in Heroica, and they sound like rodents.

Life is good! ...Interestingly I had considered changing to Sorceror, but a lot longer down the line. Now? I think I might do it after I reach the hall. De'kra s disturbed by his Assassin powers, and Arthur's words have pushed him. And he isn't going to give up, not like after Quest Four. No, I think he might become a Sorceror now.

Two questions. One, I previously accidentally got Bonaparte relations, but I just finished a Ji Pei quest and received reputation points. Am I now +1 Ji Pei, or neutral for their spectrum? Likewise, I now have a pair of Gaunlets that are immune to light. I assume that this means it has a diamond in it, one that I pay to have removed from the artifact?

IC: De'kra clicks, "I knew this will not likely enact much to repair equipment, but will this help? It not feel right for I to be reward anyway for failure." The echo hands back the 100 gold, hoping to aid in the repairs. OOC: you can choose if Chalvo keeps all the gold or only the fifty.

IC: De'kra nodded and clicked, "I will always try. I just...I tend to fail a lot. But if it give up or keep try and risk of failure, I will try. I-I not sure I want to be if light though. It...there is memory just beyond I grasp, one I always felt. I never feel happy or safe in sunlight, never feel comfortable. All I feel is stench of abandonment, reek of betrayal. And starlight is just as wrong and twist, though in different way. It...it make I angry." Regardlessly De'kra pushes himself forward, to follow after Arthur. Edit: De'kra clicked, "Apologies, aboard ship we found smuggler who took automaton. He had hid it from captain, so we had to explain situation to her, though we left out information about your people. Smuggler manage to build robot before we could discover him, so we had to fight him and machine. Sadly he built robot improperly, and it overload and explode."

IC: De'kra fell to the ground and was silent. Finally he whistled softly, "I...not know. I...lot of who I am seem like Makuta. I spawn Kraata, I body seem to be neither flesh nor metal but almost gas, I need not food or drink, sleep is unecesaary. But while I want to uprise against houses, I feel no urge for power. When I eat I eat through I hands, like villager; Matoran. I have no great powers like Makuta, I not able to control shadows. I...try while on boat-no blasts of darkness came. And I...I memories. I look over them, and I find issues. I see events that happen simultaniously as witness to both. I...I memories are in multiple places in same time. And this not just across islands of Mata-Nui. I have memories of other versions of I home, other realities. In some we heroes grew...corrupt, in others Mata-Nui die but we survive and grew stronger. I...no one person could be there for all those events. Not events happen at same time, across realities. I...I not sure I exist. I...I think I something like Kaita." "Kaita are...beautiful," De'kra describe, "When three heroes or three villagers relax their minds and each other, they can merge their bodies and minds into new being, with all their wisdome and power but new mind. Kaita are that kind of entity, perfect example of Unity. For Matoran this boost is small, just enhance strength and passive powers of their breed. But Toa, we heroes, they become incredible." "I...I not think I safe Kaita," he whistled as he clasped his head in his hands, "There are ways to merge beings you see that are not so wonderful. Staff could fuse any two things together, or separate something in half, but what it made was rarely...stable. Freaks, madmen, abominations, halves sometimes having their minds split down middle, fusions sometimes and two minds fight for control. Then there is Energize Protodermis, or liquid destiny. Whatever/whoever it touch...will either be transform or destroy, depend on what their destiny is. Even Energize Protodermis not know what will happen until it hit. You might just absorb mask power or have your elemebntal abilities double, or you might fuse and others and become dream granting conqueror. Or just be completely destroy. I think...either staff or EP made I. I think. I not even know if that right." Edit: IC: De'kra added softly, "I not sure of what else about Makuta, but I know they could have become protectors and champions of light instead. I remember some realities like that. Krika...should not have die. I wish I knew more about him, he live his whole life commit evil, yet he have so much regret, so much depression. As I said, he thought of the Makuta Plan as cage, that no matter what they did they were trap by. So he went and plan, though never without resistence. I did no rebellion, but he not surrender either. In end he try to save his fellows, and he try to stop plan multiple times. Aside from that, later in his life he became mutant, twist by ooze in swamp. It stop him from shapeshift out of insect-like form, and took away most of his powers and left him a ghost state. Before he...die." "Indeed" OOC: I realize that Krika is not the only phasing character dear to my heart, there is an X-Man I am quite fond of after all. OOC: this might not be right, but it is his theory.

IC: "He keeps glancing at you." De'kra pauses at the voice's gentle comment, before clicking, "Apologies for take yoiu out of your way. May fortune smile on you." Turning to Arthur he clicks, "Is something wrong?"

IC: De'kra clicked, "I not really interest in gold of job. But I...not sure who I am, my memory is incomplete. People who hire we seem similar to what things I remember, so I hope that they might be able to point I in right direction." To Jules he clicked, "I am really sorry about what happen here, it-I should have been more careful. Being dead is never fun, even if it brief."

Because the Reflective Gaunlets are immune to Light, I believe that means per the rules regarding artifacts that there is a Diamond inside them?

OOC: yeah, you can choose another person to use it or sell it. IC: De'kra gazes at the damaged parts of the machine, escaping the current conflict by analyzing its parts and learning how it worked.

IC: De'kra decides not to take the Grand Potion as long as he can regain all his health via bedroll, in which case he will use his bedroll. But if this should not work, he will instead use the potion. Although for now he is still in discussion.

I can't believe you have gained 580 gold just like that.

IC: De'kra glances at Jules, but fails to perk up. As he absorbs a Grand Potion he muttered, "This change nothing." Walking up to the others he clicked, "Need Potions? Also, captain, it probably not much in grand scheme of things, but I can give you 150 gold right now." OOC: Since De'kra won't ask I will, mind if he gets the Reflective Gaunlets?

OOC: Potion, its the only way he can heal anyone. IC: De'kra nodded and clicked, "if that what you think is best."

IC: De'kra backed off to heal Arthur if he gets hurt, before he clicked, "Thalion, Barur, um...maybe you could use your dirt bombs on foe to get definite damage? I think Sentinel will be vulnerable to earth, so they will enact even greater damage?"